The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has dismantled a mobile mephedrone manufacturing unit in Maharashtra’s Satara district, seizing narcotics and raw materials worth approximately ₹55 crore and arresting five individuals, officials said on Sunday. The operation was carried out in a remote village in the Karad tehsil as part of a targeted crackdown on synthetic drug production in the region.

Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officials launched “Operation Sahyadri Checkmate” on Friday. Teams from the country’s premier anti-smuggling agency conducted a coordinated raid and uncovered a fully operational mephedrone laboratory that had been camouflaged as a poultry farm. Officials said the unit was frequently shifting locations to evade detection by law enforcement agencies.

During the operation, authorities seized 11.848 kg of mephedrone in liquid form, 9.326 kg in semi-liquid form, and 738 grams in crystalline form. In addition, 71.5 kg of raw material capable of yielding another 15 kg of the banned drug was recovered. The total value of the seized contraband and materials was estimated at around ₹55 crore, officials said.

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Three individuals were apprehended at the site, including the alleged manufacturer or “cook”, the financier-consigner, and the owner of the poultry farm used as a cover for the illicit activity. Investigators said the first batch of the manufactured drug had been concealed at the farm owner’s residence.

In a follow-up operation, DRI teams arrested two more suspects near an old octroi toll naka in a densely forested area while they were allegedly en route to collect the final consignment. Officials noted that four of the five accused had previous arrests under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act or had faced prosecution under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Mephedrone is a synthetic stimulant commonly referred to as a party drug and is associated with serious health risks. This is the second major bust of a drug manufacturing unit in the Satara district in the past two months. In December, the Mumbai Crime Branch had raided Jawali and dismantled another clandestine drug production facility, highlighting sustained enforcement efforts in the region.

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